The Exchanges

Q At what point in your life you felt lost, and what helped you to come over it?

A I felt lost at several points in my life. I think very typical for many women, um, but possibly for men as well. Uh, the first point was, um, actually when I completed my MBA, when I was with Whirlpool, and I, I just didn't know what to do. I, I sort of left Whirlpool very blindly without realizing, without thinking. I just knew I didn't, uh, want to be in the corporate sector. Although, I'm grateful to Whirlpool for that exposure. Um, I didn't, it's only after some time that I found an opportunity. Um, I think what got me through then was an attitude of just keep looking. The second point in time when I was lost was actually when I was, um, coming back from the Kennedy School. Again, I wasn't clear on what I would do in India, and I knew I had this huge student loan to pay, but I found myself in consulting, which was a balance of what I wanted to do and how much money I needed to earn. And I think again, the mantra is keep having conversations. You never know what you will find. The third point was when I had my baby and I had to leave consulting because it couldn't work out. I just couldn't manage the travel. And at that point I left without knowing what I was going to do. I clearly have a history of doing this, but I left without knowing and I found that I could, I, you know, a beautiful opportunity to work with Fair and Lovely and Unilever cropped up. And again, uh, while I…

AI assessment note: “I felt lost at several points in my life. The first point was”

Q What three advices would you like to share to young people to deliver excellence in their job or business?

A What I've learnt actually from Unilever that, um, startups must be exposed to is the relentless consumer focus. I think that's one of the key things that's made Unilever so successful. We invest enormous amounts of time, energy, resources to understanding what our consumers' issues are. And designing products that make sense to them from their mental model. Fair and Lovely is actually one great example. It's, while it is a berated, well, you know, it's not everyone's favorite brand. It is the second most trusted brand among women in India, and that is not to be dismissed as a minor achievement. Today, there are thousands of brands competing for women's attention. But to retain that position says a lot, ah, because it means that Fair and Lovely has created a package of the four Ps of price, promotion, um, place, and packaging that See, it still continues to stand out, and continues to, um, uh, achieve a kind of connect. So that's, uh, I would, big piece of advice is consumer focus. The second piece of advice is, uh, build your teams, because I think the greatest weakness of startups is that if you're not talking to the main guy, then You're not getting the same level of service, you're not getting the same level of attention, or they won't necessarily understand your business challenge, and that's a problem, that you don't want to create that impression as a startup. So, hire ta…

AI assessment note: “big piece of advice is consumer focus. The second piece of advice is”

Q What books have you read that have shaped your life?

A Um, I had a professor at Harvard Kennedy School, uh, who's written a book on authentic leadership. His name is Ronald Heifetz, and his class as well as his book really turned my ideas of leadership around. Most of us, especially women, won't be given the chance to lead from the front. For instance, we won't be appointed bosses Or appointed as leaders of teams, right? There is a bias in the workplace. There are all kinds of barriers one has to overcome. Unseen barriers. But that doesn't mean you can't be a leader just because you haven't been labeled one. You can lead from where you are perfectly well and very effectively if you understand what authentic leadership is about. If you can bring And one of the most beautiful ways in which to achieve this is to keep everyone's focus on what the actual problem is and what we're trying to solve collectively as a group, as a community. And I think that's been a book that's, uh, really changed my life and really empowered me, uh, to think outside of my job description or my title and go for what I really believe in. Like, you know, work towards that.

AI assessment note: “his class as well as his book really turned my ideas of leadership around”

Q Share more about your family, your husband, your kids. What does your husband do, and how do you each complement you or each other in your careers?

A My husband is in private equity, ah, and he invests in mid-sized companies about, I think, but more importantly, he complements my career by being a fabulous husband and father. And a great sounding board as well. I think it's very rare to have, uh, an equation where you, uh, where your husband respects your need for professional growth. Many men understand that women need to work, but not necessarily that women need to grow as well. And that growth often comes with compromise on the home front, that your wife may not be around as often as you would have liked, or that she need to spend longer hours at office. There's no, there's not necessarily sensitivity towards that sacrifice that has to come. And I think he's been brilliant on that front. So that's how he compliments, uh, my The other, um, way in which she, um, my, I have a five-year-old daughter, and she's, um, a great source of joy as well as inspiration. Kids, you learn something from a kid every single day. I learn something from my daughter every single day. And honestly, it's made me a much better person.

AI assessment note: “My husband is in private equity, ah, and he invests in mid-sized companies”

Q Who have your real life heroes or sheroes been, and how they have inspired you?

A There are so many women to talk about, right, from my history teacher at school who converted what is otherwise a very, very boring class into, into one that literally took us to, uh, various, uh, you know, periods in history. Uh, she used to really fire up our imagination about what it would be like to go back in time. Uh, a math teacher who You know, God bless her, really ensured that I, um, aced my math exams. But apart from, you know, women who've been hugely impactful, the women I see today as my sheroes are frankly, firstly, Summer Fair and Lovely Career Foundation's users. They're such strivers. They might be stuck in a small town and may not even have permission to leave home because It's so unsafe outside of their homes, but they are still signing up for multiple courses. There's a girl who's completed a 190 hours of courses on our platform, and only, I mean, these courses take so much motivation to complete. I am in complete awe and admiration of such women who are really, um, doing whatever it takes to, um, to get ahead. Despite The sort of this very strict limitations that they have to work within.

AI assessment note: “the women I see today as my sheroes are frankly, firstly, Summer Fair and Lovely”

Q So, what mindsets would you say you attribute your success to, which have led you so far in your career journey and in your personal life?

A The key mindset, and I wouldn't say I always add this, it's one that I've cultivated recently, is don't allow your designation, your company, or your payslip to define who you are. Or your educational qualifications for that matter. They are, um, actually becoming significantly irrelevant to what you need, what you can bring to the world, um, or the difference that you can make to the world. It really doesn't matter. And I think the best, in startups you see this all the time. You see interns coming up with these incredible Um, ideas and product, you know, product improvement ideas. And, uh, you remember the scene from, uh, Uri, Uri, right? Where the intern comes up with that, uh, innovation, uh, that really helps the, uh, uh, the, the, the army. Um, I think that that's just true. And that can, and that's only going to be increasingly true. Uh, you shouldn't allow anything to hold you back.

AI assessment note: “The key mindset... is don't allow your designation, your company, or your payslip”

Q If you would describe what are the three strengths of Anjali and what are the three weaknesses, what would you say?

A I think one of my key strengths is actually empathy. I do, um, thanks to my exposure through Nandi Foundation and, um, Through other experiences, um, have developed a sense of empathy, which I think holds me in good stead, especially when I try to bring more partners on board with Fair and Lovely, to Fair and Lovely Career Foundation. The second is, I think my general excitement for life. I've always been complimented on being a positive sort of, ah, presence on the team. And the third is definitely my passion for my subject. And with respect to weaknesses, well, my team, which doesn't hold back their feedback, they tell me that I'm impatient. I have a hundred ideas at once, all of which I want to see executed within the next one week. Um, and, and then I, I, I think I do suffer from some form of memory loss because I'm sort of Uh, changing plans, uh, very often, but, uh, yeah, but I have a team that keeps me on track.

AI assessment note: “I think one of my key strengths is actually empathy... with respect to weaknesses”

Q What is your daily routine like? What habits would

A My daily routine really comprises, um, some exercise. Now I've committed to, um, doing something, uh, sort of that's good for my health every day. There is time spent, um, with my colleagues, which I find extremely energizing. I love working with young people. I do have some interns as well. And Um, and then I've also committed to outreach to all our partners of Fair and Lovely Career Foundation. At the end of the day, we would not be, uh, where we are today were it not for our brilliant partners. Uh, there's English Edge, NIIT, edX, testbook.com, iDreamCareer, SheRose, um, be able to partner now with InternShala, and I spent part of my day, um, speaking to them. I also am always on the lookout for new partners. That's a very exciting part of my job. Talking to ed tech companies who are also in the space of empowering women. So a big shout out to anyone who is looking to empower women through education, career guidance, or job opportunities. I would love to hear from you.

AI assessment note: “My daily routine really comprises, um, some exercise.”

Q How does building Fair and Lovely Career Foundation connect with you on a personal level, and what's the journey of the Fair and Lovely Career Foundation has been since you joined?

A So Fair and Lovely Career Foundation was born as an idea in 2015. We had just released a TV advertisement, ah, talking about our scholarships program, and then we were inundated with calls, had to set up a 40 person call center, received 15,000 applications from every nook and cranny of India, and we realized what sort of the convening power of the brand Um, was. That's when we said we must think bigger. We must think of Helping more women where they are. And that's how the idea of Fair and Lovely Career Foundation was born. It would be a mobile platform that introduced young women across the country to the power of online learning, online career guidance, and exposure to job opportunities. We were convinced that one of the biggest barriers that exists in the countries like ours Um, is the lack of awareness. Most young girls today don't know that they can use the internet to learn, to upgrade their skills, and to access opportunities that can really get them closer to their dreams. Most young women think it's, think the internet is for WhatsApp or Facebook. But we are using the power of the brand coupled with the explosive growth in ed tech and, um, you know, uh, I would say even, um, job, the, you know, the online, um, job opportunity space to really, you know, give young women, um, show young women that there are better ways to, To use the internet, ah, and more empowering wa…

AI assessment note: “Fair and Lovely Career Foundation was born as an idea in 2015.”

Q Would you like to describe your team at Fair and Labi Career Foundation? How do you work with each other, your strengths as a team, and what moves you together forward?

A I draw a lot of energy from my team at, um, Unilever and Fair and Labi Career Foundation. Um, we are, um, very close-knit. And really fundamentally all committed to the same cause. And I think that can never be underrated. A team that dreams together, stays together. We have equal passion for, uh, making a difference to young girls with, uh, with, uh, with dreams for a better future. And we bring that passion to our work, uh, strive for excellence. And how do I work with them? Well, we, we do the regular stuff, brainstorming and, um, You know, planning, and reviewing, and, but I think it, the whole process is so much more joyful, because we are linked at this values level, uh, and we have the same, uh, same ultimate goal in mind. So, I'm very lucky.

AI assessment note: “how do I work with them? Well, we, we do the regular stuff, brainstorming”

Q Who have been your mentors in life, Anjali?

A Multiple mentors, and, and so many male mentors that I'm, um, you know, I really, uh, believe that there are more men out there who believe in gender equality and women's progress than there are men who don't, and I want to find my, you know, way for sheroes maybe, and, or to, um, uh, to give space to those men, because they're such a powerful force, and we must Unlock their potential to move this agenda ahead. And I've been a beneficiary of so much mentorship from my bosses who've been men, from teachers who've been men, family members who are men, um, my own husband. Um, my biggest mentor, frankly, is my husband. Um, That, and people like Paul Polman, with whom I've had limited interactions, but each interaction has, I've experienced professional growth, uh, and personal growth, uh, because it's been so powerful in such a limited timeframe. So, I would say I've had a range of mentors.

AI assessment note: “my biggest mentor, frankly, is my husband. Um, That, and people like Paul Polman”

Q What challenges or hardships are you faced in life which most of us don't know about?

A Actually, I would, I would describe my challenges and hardships as Being, you know, I'm ashamed sometimes to call them hardships, because I have led a very privileged life, as Sehri often says, actually, the fact that we wake up and we have running water in our taps is a, is a miracle in itself, right? We are so privileged. We, we, I've grown up, I would say, in a complete bubble in that sense. I think the challenge, therefore, is to develop that empathy for those who are not as privileged, for which, and at the same time, not be able to plant yourself entirely in their environment. Like, it is really hard at this stage in life to consider living in a village for a year. Although, to really come up with Relevant innovations. These are measures that one should take, right? So I think that, um, I think that for me as a development professional, it's, that is a big challenge. How do we overcome the increasing, uh, barriers between our experience and the experience of others? And I do think digital, um, and efforts like Shiro's and Fair and Lovely Career Foundation offer us a way To communicate and overcome those barriers, right? Keep that channel open. Otherwise, we'd be totally cut off from the experiences of, ah, like I said, women from small town India, or women residing in villages. At least we have now a way to hear those stories and share those stories with others, which I t…

AI assessment note: “I'm ashamed sometimes to call them hardships, because I have led a very privileged life”